20 small tips from our best wellness retreats - to make today more meaningful

Restore Your Mind, Body, and Soul

As the owner of one of the best wellness retreats for integrative physical health, I'm a strong believer in using a fitness retreat to kick start your change. It's not easy to honour your need for 'you time' when juggling the responsibilities of the everyday. Things can progressively get away on you, piling up, and soon it feels like self care just pausing long enough for a glass of water! Um no... that should not be considered a treat.

Traveling to a health retreat is the ultimate luxury in self-care. This article shares where to find a weight loss camp that fits what you're looking for. I'll also share :

• Who can benefit from going on a wellness retreat?


• 20 random ideas to give more meaning to your life - today


• Why West Coast Fitness Vacations is worth a look


• What will a weight loss centre, live in fitness program do for you?

Health retreat programs like Whistler Fitness Vacations in B.C., Canada will help get you started (my fitness business!).

[caption id="attachment_234020" align="aligncenter" width="900"] Raise a smoothie bottle! It's lunch time on the trails at Whistler Fitness Vacations[/caption]

How destination weight loss programs create change

When you think about last week at home, it probably feels like a blur.

You may have made a few positive changes, but possibly not changed your mindset. Spending time on a fitness getaway will blow you out of your rut, nourishing whatever needs. That may be your food choices, being around nurturing people, taking time to exercise, or simply sleeping a lot without feeling guilty.

There's a high relationship between physical activity and how people perceive their quality of life. The Surgeon General's report reviews the evidence relating physical activity, or lack of, to reduced risk of health problems. The findings were that exercise can reduce premature development of anxiety, back pain, depression, insomnia, memory issues... to name a few.

Getting in shape and staying fit as part of your lifestyle definitely increases your quality of life.

READ: This Dog Friendly Fitness Retreat Tailors An Epic Hiking Adventure - Just For You

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Decide to take care of your body, no matter what it looks like

Sometimes when people get to a certain weight, or 'fail' their workout and food plan for the 100th time, they lose hope. They stop looking at themselves, putting on sunblock, buying new clothes. Maintenance moves to the bare minimum of hair-in-a-pony and a rotation of the same stretchy pants as you fly out the door.

One of the exercises at our weight loss retreat is to put on body lotion everyday, and skin brush. Step one in taking care of yourself. We encourage guests to follow a skin care routine for both morning and night. Spending a week or longer doing all the things that have slipped through the cracks in past few years.

Studies of women found that positive body image actually increases with age. This is likely because life experiences can teach you to appreciate and respect your body for what it does and what it’s been through – even if it doesn’t look like the kind of body admired in popular culture. In short, the wisdom that comes with age often brings the unexpected gift of greater body appreciation. - Psychology Today

West Coast Fitness Vacations is a weight loss boot camp for women who are outside of healthy range. Come see for yourself what a difference it makes, to be around women with similar physical makeup to you at a fitness retreat!

How to give more meaning to your life - today

It would be promotional to claim that heading off to a wellness retreat is the answer to feeling better. It's not. Change starts with you - today - a drop of wisdom and perspective that resonates. With this, you can shift the mindset that's holding you back to start feeling optimistic about tomorrow.

Do you have the opportunity to spend on learning, or giving back? This will balance your wellness. Give freely of yourself, your time and talents - then find a passion or something you believe in. Figure out how to pursue it. This could be learning to play a new instrument, learning a new language, or hobby. So many of us waste our precious time and we need to reexamine how we spend it.

Focusing on how we contribute to others will take you out of your own head. And of course - being grateful every day! One step at a time, adding one small change in a positive direction each day. Getting out of your comfort zone is when we grow.

Animals need your help!

Are there any rescue groups in your area that need volunteers? Rescue groups love having help.

Maybe look at joining an exercise class, instead of going home to cook and eat - then sitting on the couch scrolling through your phone. Streaming a yoga class can help as a first step, teaching you to be in the present moment. This will help with anxiety and prevent negative thoughts from overwhelming you.

Are there any women's organizations around that raise money for scholarships, or those in need? This could be very fulfilling and rewarding. You could also go into an Elementary school for reading with students. They're often in need of help.

Another idea is to wake up earlier and while drinking through your pot of tea, reflect on the wonderful things that you already have in your life. It sounds cheesy but it really does make a difference in your mindset, as you take on the day.

Most communities have centres for women 50 and upwards. Fifty can hit people in different ways, some it's like they are thirty, but for others who may have faced struggle, it's senior. Check out what's available in your area and say yes to the day trips, workouts and coffee events!

Vancouver Island residential weight loss camp (biggest loser style) – 1-2 months

Can West Coast Fitness Vacations help you?

• You feel stuck in your life. Can't figure out your next move.


• Tired all.the.time.... stressed or depressed, you're not sure what.


• Passion feels like something you 'used to know'


• Fitness is overwhelming and hard to even think about starting


• The weight is going up each year

Get up, get dressed, go out! You never know who might cross your path...

There's an app called Meetup thats worth joining, with groups for all walks of life and interests. Listening to podcasts in topics that interest you, and watching insightful youtube - TEDX talks, Oprah's SuperSoul conversations.

Cook delicious meals - collect beautiful cook books and figure out what your favorite recipes are. Find a senior nursing home and visit - some hardly ever get visitors. Are there events in your local library, or craft club? Check the notice board at the grocery store.

Going to yoga class can really build a sense of community. People like to chat in the common area and you'll see the same familiar faces after a while, which is quite nice. Yoga also helps you think differently, and be more tolerant of things that you can't change.

My personal favorite is to take a long walk in nature. Walking for fitness is such a lovely way to spend an afternoon.

LEARN MORE ABOUT WFV HIKING TOURS HERE

Luxury wellness retreat ? Know the difference

There are quite a few variations of wellness retreats these days, and not all of them are fitness based.

And while many crossover to include exercise, they may not be providing enough physical activity to improve your fitness. For example, a wellness spa typically includes beauty treatments, holistic health procedures and perhaps some gentle movement, like nature walking and yin yoga. If you're looking for a fitness retreat, avoid going somewhere that uses the 'wellness spa' word as main description.

You've got to cross off a lot of boxes in the hospitality industry to be able to call yourself a 'luxury lodging'. Often fitness trainers who are putting on a health spa or health retreat that is about wellness, use the word luxury without really having criteria to do so. For that reason, you might find yourself in a 2 star hotel that is in serious need for upkeep. And doing a few yoga classes in a conference room at the back of the hotel isn't really the best wellness retreat experience.

Other weight loss camps rightfully label themselves as 'health retreats that emphasize fitness activity.' Don't assume that any spa services are offered, however you might be wise to pre-book some treatments at a nearby spa before you go.

[caption id="attachment_234032" align="alignnone" width="900"] Whistler Fitness Vacations premium 4-week program includes unlimited access to the gorgeous onsite health club at the Westin Resort and Spa.[/caption]

Why Whistler Fitness Vacations is worth a look

Over the past 11 years, we’ve remained true to our original goal – to provide unparalleled weight loss retreats to women who are just getting started in their fitness journey, in one of the most pristinely beautiful corners of the world. We’re a company of travellers who are committed to daily workouts, healthy eating and living our best life. We have friends and family who, just like you, find it more challenging to commit to regular workouts.

Many of them struggle with eating too much, and some have obesity related diseases. That’s part of the reason that at our boot camp weight loss retreat programs, we’ll welcome you like family. Let us show you why so many of our customers refer us to their friends!

I am so thankful for finding Whistler Fitness Vacations! My week here was much more than I expected – and now I feel equipped to make this happen at home! Many, many thanks! Kathy Clark Florida

Vancouver Island residential weight loss camp (biggest loser style) – 1-2 months

We don’t just get you in shape, we show you how to love it.

Whistler Fitness Vacations strives to offer the best wellness retreats in the travel industry, for women over 35!  You’ll never feel like you’re one of the crowd, quite the opposite. Our goal at Whistler Fitness Vacations is to make each of our customers feel like they are the most important.

This gives us the ability to: 

• Generate well-organized, creative weight loss boot camp programs.


• Keep activity safe, results orientated, interesting, empowering and time efficient.
  


• Coordinate the details of your body transformation from foundational phase through to final healthy weight.
  


• Work with all types of learners – whether you pick things up best through visual, verbal or feeling explanations, we speak your language!
  


• Interact successfully with all of our guests. Sometimes you need a trainer, other times a mentor, listener, guidance or friend. You matter here, and we have the resources in place to ensure nobody slips through the cracks.
  


• Juggle multiple tasks and meet tight deadlines with a positive attitude.
  

Vancouver Island residential weight loss camp (biggest loser style) – 1-2 months

Who can benefit from going on a fitness getaway?

After a fitness retreat, you'll feel recharged and ready to continue your healthy choices at home. You've avoided rushing from place-to-place, catching transit here and there trying to make connections. You've also avoided having to figure out all the logistics of your fitness vacation which can free up a lot of headspace. This is necessary to allow you to get the emotional benefits from working out (so often neglected).

Many of our guests are going through a transition in their lives, perhaps overwhelmed from work, family, or relationship. Sometimes their health is not where it should be, often due to making poor choices influenced by stress.

Taking time to truly embrace the benefits of a luxury wellness retreat like ours will be of great mental and emotional benefit. No matter how much you strive to do meditation or to self-care sometimes in your home life, it's just impossible to truly feel free.